Field of Disclosure
The present disclosure generally relates to information systems. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system for providing a continuous communication link with a symbol reading device, and a symbol reading device adapted for use in such a system.
Brief Overview of the State of the Art
A symbol reading device (e.g., barcode scanner, barcode reader, RFID reader) is a specialized input, device for certain data systems commonly used by retailers, industrial businesses, and other businesses having a need to manage large amounts of inventory. Symbol reading devices are often employed to read barcodes. A barcode is a machine-readable representation of information in a graphic format. The most familiar of these graphic symbols is a series of parallel bars and spaces of varying widths, which format gave rise to the term “barcode.” The adoption of the Universal Product Code (UPC) version of barcode technology in 1973 quickly led to a revolution in logistics by obviating the need for manual entry of long number strings.
Most barcode scanners operate by projecting light from an LED or a laser onto the printed barcode, and then detecting the level of reflected light as the light beam sweeps across the barcode. Using this technique, the barcode scanner is able to distinguish between dark areas and light areas on the barcode. The barcode scanner can determine the width of each bar or white space and then decode the symbol to determine the represented data.
Although the basic concept behind barcode scanning technology has remained constant, the techniques employed continue to evolve. Recent trends include the widespread use of 2D barcodes (i.e., matrix codes), which provide for the representation of data in two dimensions. The QR Code is an example of a 2D barcode in wide use today, especially in the area of interactive marketing.
Typically, the barcode scanner transmits the data that it decodes from reading the barcode to a host device, which host device is configured to process the data in some useful way. In the retail context, where the barcode scanner is used in conjunction with the sale of products to the consumer, these host devices and their accompanying barcode scanners are often referred to as point-of-sale (POS) systems. The most ubiquitous example of the point-of-sale system is the checkout register at a supermarket, where an omni-directional barcode scanner reads the UPC code on grocery purchases. The barcode scanner passes the UPC code associated with each product along to the cash register, which then looks up the price associated with each product code. The communication link between the barcode scanner and the host device is often either an RS-232 serial connection or a universal serial bus (USE) connection.
The useful life of barcode scanners can be extended and functionality enhanced by updating the barcode scanner's software (e.g., firmware). In situations where the host device features a full-featured operating system capable of running software (e.g., Microsoft WINDOWS®) adapted to update the barcode scanner's firmware, a system administrator can update the firmware via the host device, either directly or through a network connection to the host device. Many host systems are not capable of directly supporting an upgrade of the barcode scanner firmware. Low-end retail host devices, such as certain electronic cash registers, may not be PC-based or may not be running complete operating systems. In addition, certain factors may prohibit a business from providing a network connection to certain host devices, making it impossible to remotely upgrade the barcode scanner firmware. Because these host devices cannot provide the necessary interface to upgrade the barcode scanner firmware, when performing system maintenance, it is necessary to disconnect the barcode scanner from the host device and then reconnect the barcode scanner to a suitable upgrade system, such as a PC-based laptop computer. Once the upgrade of the firmware is complete, the upgrade system is disconnected and the communication link between the barcode scanner and the host device is re-established.
The problem with this approach to upgrading a barcode scanner's firmware is that it is time-consuming, labor intensive, and results in the point-of-sale system, for example, being offline for the duration of the upgrade process. In environments employing many host device-barcode scanner pairings, the costs and delays brought about by this labor-intensive upgrade technique can be quite burdensome on a business.
What is needed is a system for providing communication to a symbol reading device, such as a barcode reader, that allows continuous access to the symbol reading device through a server computer even in situations where the host device is incapable of providing access to the symbol reading device for purposes of upgrading the symbol reading device's firmware. A system that provided an additional means of communicating with the symbol reading device beyond the communication link with the host device would not only allow for remote upgrading of the symbol reading device's firmware, but would allow for the transfer of data from the symbol reading device to systems other than the host device for additional data processing or data collection purposes.